Hello Moms!
For several years now I have been wanting to get breast reduction surgery. I have a few questions about it, and I am wondering if any of you may know the answers. How long is the average recovery period? How long after the surgery can a woman begin lifting again? (I have two small children, so this is an important question for me.) Does insurance ever cover this procedure? If you have had this procedure, were you happy with the results? Any regrets? I have so much pain in my back, neck, shoulders, etc, and I am so tired of it... Thanks!
I have a friend that had the procedure and was very happy. She was able to get insurance to cover after she lost enough weight to be at a "healthy" weight in ths insurance companys eyes.
Good luck!
E.
I had a breast reduction/lift 4 weeks ago. The recovery has been extremely easy and the results fantastic. I had a TT at the same time, and I would forget that I had had the breast surgery, too. There was no pain involved in mine at all. My doctor cleared me to start lifting light weights again. Not sure how long before you can lift your children. My kids are beyond the liftable age.
I just had a breast reduction 18 days ago and I am SO glad I did! To answer a few of your questions:
Insurance did not cover my procedure but you'll have to check with your insurance co. to see if they'll cover it. Some do, some don't.
You'll need help for at least 2 weeks after your surgery. I still can't lift my niece and she's only a year old. My kids are older so I don't have to worry about lifting them. :-) I'm just now starting to be able to carry a light laundry basket upstairs. I still can't stretch to reach things. Recovery is about 6 weeks and you'll need every bit of it or you'll make your recovery period longer.
I stayed overnight and I'm glad I did. That was an option for me since I was self-pay but if your insurance company pays you might have to do out-patient.
I talked to another woman who had the same procedure in Dec. and her surgeon sent her home in a tight bra-like thing, no drains, and pretty tight restrictions. My surgeon sent me home "au natural", with drains (they came out a day and a half later) and not so many restrictions. So there are apparently a few different approaches surgeons take; you'll have to talk to some and find out who you like and what they do.
Pain-wise it wasn't bad at all. Darvocet controlled the pain well and by the 5th day I was just taking ibuprofen. I didn't even use all the Darvocet the surgeon prescribed.
It was so worth it!! I'm so glad I did this and, like everyone else I talked to who had a reduction, I only wish I had it done sooner.
Hope this helps!!
I had a reduction and lift last year. Yes- it was worth it. Most insurance companies do not cover it. If they do, there are lots of requirements that you must meet. Just call your insurance company and they can tell you. As far as recovery, its painful in the beginning. I think it was about 10-14 days before I could really pick up things with ease- including my kids. I have absolutely no regrets! If you want more info feel free to ask.
